Tolbert lanston



(No Model.) f T. LANSTON.

PRODUCING JUSTIFIED LINES 0F TYPE. No. 364,522.

Patented June 7, 1887.

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOLBERT LANSTON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRIC'I` OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESN E ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LANSTON TYPE MACHINE COMPANY, or sAMn PLACE.

PRODUCINGJUSTlFIED LINES OF TYPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,522, dated June 7, 1887.

Original application filed September 30, iSB. Serial No. 178,671. Divided and this application tiled July 3, 1F86. Serial No. 07,157. (N o model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, 'IoLBEnr LANsToN, of Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Forming J ustiiied Lines of Types; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This case is a division of an application tiled by me September 30, 1885, and numbered 178,671. In another division of said application-t1 e., No. 207,156--tiled contemporaneously`herewith,I have shown and described certain improvements in the art of producing j ustiiied lines and forms of type, and in illustration thereof have described several modes of carrying my said invention into practice. One of said modes forms the subject of the present application, and comprises that improvement in the art which consists in forming the types for each line of composition of a width varying from the width of normal or standard type a percentage equal to the percentage of variation required in an unjustified line of normal or standard characters to just iill out the line.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View representing an unjustilied line of type of normal or standard dimensions upon an enlarged scale, the outlines only of the types being shown. Fig. 2 .is a similar view representinga j ustiliedline of characters made in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of a form of type composed of a series of lines conf structed according to my invention.

Similar letters and numbers in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, let the interval between the points lettered a. and c represent the length ofthe proposed line of composition assumed to be the width of the column, the interval between a and b the space which would be occupied by the unjustified lineof types of normal or standard size, and the interval between b and c the space to be lled by j ustiticat-iont As the space between.

Z1 and c represents a certain percentage of the space between a and b, it follows that if to each division of the space a b there be added a corresponding percentage of its width the result will be the iilling out of the line. XVith this as the fundamental rule of procedure for the formation of each line of matter, I proceed,

first, to ascertain, by measurement or otherwise, the percentage of the unjustified line of types of normal or standard size, which, if added to said unjustified line, would cause it to fill out the standard line. Having ascertained this percentage of the unjustified line, I next proceed to form the separate type, each of a width increased or varied, as compared with the normal or standard types of the same character, an amount equal to the ascertained percentage of the type. Thus in the illustration, Figs. l and 2, the space b c, to be iilled by justification, is approximately ten per cent. of the space a b, which represents an unjustified line of normal types; hencc,if there be added to each sub-division of theline a b, or, in other words, to each of the twenty-three normal types which we have assumed would be contained in said space ten per cent. of its width, the line will be filled out or justified. Io produce type which will when associated thus exactly till out the line a c, asin Fig. 2, itis therefore only necessary that they be constructed of a width ten per cent. above the normal.

In carrying out my invention it should be understood that the types for each line of composition are formed with special reference to the needs of that line alone, and the several lines are associated togetherinforms,as shown in Fig. 3, so that impressions may be taken from them either for direct printing or for forming matrices for stereotype or electrotype purposes.

The variations in the width of the type herein referred to relate solely to variations in the bodies, and lnot to variatiousin the impressionfaces thereof, which remain normal; and in this connection it may be stated that in the production of lines of ordinary-sized type the variations are so slight as to be imperceptible to the eye, while uniformity of spacing is obtained in greater perfection than can be se art ofproducingjustiedlines of type, consisting in forming the types Ifor a given line of a Width Varying from the Width of normal or standard type a percentage equal to the percentage of variation reqniredin an unjustified line of normal or standard characters to just till out the line, substantially as described.

TOLBERT LANSTON.

Witnesses:

A. S. S'rnUAR'r, MELVILLE CHURCH. 

